


i snuck in through the garden gate

by beyhiveminded



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Deviates From Canon, F/F, Inspired by Taylor Swift, mostly just sappy I'll be honest, wlw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29902995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beyhiveminded/pseuds/beyhiveminded
Summary: Cordelia and Buffy have an invisible string tying them to one another. The problem with acknowledging it is having to acknowledge it means something.
Relationships: Angel & Buffy Summers, Cordelia Chase & Buffy Summers, Cordelia Chase/Buffy Summers, Cordelia Chase/Xander Harris, Rupert Giles & Buffy Summers
Kudos: 3





	1. State of Grace

_And I never saw you coming_

_And I’ll never be the same_

Buffy Summers had been hoping to start this year quietly. No more drama, completely anonymous to the school administration, and definitely _no vampires_. A big ask for the chosen one, but then, Buffy had never the type to bow into the hands of fate. Sure, it was only a matter of time before the entirety of Sunnydale knew about the currently charred indoor gym at her last school, and before the undead started their matriculation to the town she and her mother had relocated to, but still. Buffy _would_ have a normal high school experience if she had to will it into existence.

So far, she had made good on her promise of anonymity. Aside from the normal attention the ‘new kid’ inevitably garnered, and a few lewd comments from some of the less-developed population, she had managed to skate through the first few periods unnoticed. As much as she would have liked to establish her footing as a popular-cheerleader type, her main goal was to pass as ‘normal’ before worrying about that.

Stretching slightly before standing, Buffy felt a pair of eyes lingering on her. She felt herself slow as she gathered her things, bracing herself. When she lifted her head to meet the bright, brown eyes trained on her, she felt a bolt of electricity move through her-along with a serious case of the wiggins. She _thought_ she was looking at a normal girl, but a year of experience had proven that her instincts were more important than first impressions.

“How about that lecture—could Jones _be_ any more of a snooze fest?” The girl had loped over while Buffy was busy working out why she was feeling a heavy pit in her stomach. She spoke with a haughty attitude that Buffy shouldn’t have found so endearing. She was the kind of girl that could get away with being bitchy because people were either scared of her or desperately seeking to attain something from her. The kind of girl Buffy used to be.

“Yeah-not the most stimulating first day.” Buffy eventually retorted once she realized that ‘mute’ and ‘normal’ were not exactly synonymous in a public high school. The girl snorted in response, seemingly approving of Buffy’s response.

“I’m Cordelia.” She responded, slowly following Buffy out of the classroom. “It’s lucky that I caught you-c’mon, I’ll show you around.” It was an order, more than an offer. Buffy found herself obeying, suddenly overcome by a meekness that she hadn’t felt…ever, probably. It was more than just wanting an ‘in’ with the group she assumed Cordelia ran with, it was Cordelia herself. Her aura was tinged with some sort of warmth that Buffy couldn’t place. Maybe she was a succubus.

Whatever reverie Cordelia had placed her in was immediately broken as they approached a water fountain. A short redhead was bent over, drinking, bothering no one. 

“Willow! Nice dress. Good to know you’d seen the softer side of Sears.” Cordelia snapped, her voice dripping with the same attitude she’d been met with earlier; however, it was devoid of any of the banter-y-humor she had been afforded. Buffy felt herself bristle. The redhead, Willow, immediately sprung up like the water had suddenly become electrocuted. She stuttered a response before scuttering away, clearly intimidated by Cordelia’s mere presence.

Cordelia scoffed, and Buffy realized that continuing down the path she currently was being led down would most _definitely_ result in some kind of trouble. She wasn’t quite sure if the school fearing her, even just for associating with the apparent queen bee, would be a good way to stave off the kind of reputation being the Slayer— _having been_ the Slayer—won you. She muttered some kind of lame apology before tearing away from the scene of the crime, shuffling as quickly as her mules allowed her to into her next class.

_These are the hands of fate_

_You’re my Achilles heel_

_This is the golden age of something good_

_And right and real_

Cordelia Chase was unsure of what had just occurred. She had been sitting in Mr. Jones’s English (or was it history?) class, lazily looping a list of items she wanted to pick up from Contempo’s this weekend across the page meant for notes on whatever it was Jones was droning on about. She had looked up, trying to catch the eye of the girl (Stacy? Sara?) immediately to her left so she could begin the process of passing a note over to Harmony.

Almost as if there was some kind of magnetic pull, Cordelia felt her eyes training themselves toward the spot where the new girl was sat in the front of the room. She had initially noticed her upon entering the class (late) and felt mildly interested. She looked to have naturally blonde hair-which was a rarity and would have been a good addition to the Cordettes. Harmony was not a natural blonde, no matter how much she insisted, and as a brunette, it was always good to have a foil. Her outfit was a bit out of season for Cordelia’s tastes-it was nearing fall, and she had on a baby blue, short-sleeved cardigan over her white undershirt. Cordelia had already started the transition to fall, carefully choosing to start her sophomore year with a black top and olive-green cords.

But she couldn’t stop staring. There wasn’t anything remarkable about her, she was adequate at best. So why did she feel like she wouldn’t be able to go on with her day if she didn’t go introduce herself?


	2. Treacherous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // brief mention of ED

_This slope is treacherous_

_This path is reckless_

The Bronze was the only semi-cool place in Sunnydale to congregate. Cordelia hadn’t particularly wanted to leave the warmth of her bed, especially not when there was a 90210 marathon playing on Fox. But Harmony had called and _insisted_ that Cordelia join them, so she had swapped her purple bunny PJs for a sleek blue A-line with cap sleeves.

It didn’t take long for her to get into her groove, entertaining her vapid friends with even more vapid musings about her hair, the meager pickings of romantic partners Sunnydale offered, and who she thought had an eating disorder (Marissa, Janice, and maybe Stephanie). She had noticed that a certain blonde hadn’t made it, though she had carefully been sure to invite her in the most noncommittal way possible. Harmony suddenly broke through her musings.

“What about that new girl—Buffy? She seems like a total freakazoid.”

“Yeah,” Cordelia heard Chantelle respond, “I heard that she got kicked out of her last school for fighting.”

“Buffy?” Cordelia then heard herself respond. “I hadn’t heard anything like that. We talked yesterday—I got good vibes from her.” Cordelia was suddenly reminded of that pull she felt, and the warmth that seemed to spread throughout her chest when Buffy had introduced herself. She wondered absently if maybe someone had just spiked her drink, and she was just experiencing the warmth of some sort of liquor entering into her bloodstream.

A few minutes later, Cordelia excused herself to the restroom ensure her hair was sitting properly. Passing through a metal door, Cordia jumped when she was face-to-face with Buffy Summers. Buffy Summers, who had jumped out from a corner with a crazed look in her eyes, brandishing a—pointy stick? Cordelia pushed herself against the wall, trying to make herself as small as possible. Buffy let out what sounded like a growl and struck before Cordelia could ask her what was going on. Suddenly, Cordelia was being pushed against the wall, close enough that she felt Buffy’s controlled breath fan against her face. The entire ordeal had to have only lasted a few seconds, but Cordelia had felt as though she was watching things unfold over several hours, like someone had slowed time down to a snail’s pace. Buffy’s knee was holding her firmly against the wall, and her arm was pressed across Cordelia’s chest to hold her torso still. It took a beat for Buffy to realize her mistake and unceremoniously drop Cordelia, who stumbled a bit once she was left to hold herself up. After a minute of processing, she finally found her voice.

“Oh my god—you’re a _freak_!” She exclaimed, rubbing one of her shoulders. She knew she should have been angrier at being assaulted by her almost-friend. But rather than her blood boiling with indignancy, she found her pulse quickening at the thought of sweet breath fanning across her jaw, and a familiar warmth pressed against her.

After another moment of both girls standing, jagged breathing the only sound piercing the tense silence, Cordelia finally found her bearings.

“I have to tell…everyone!” She said, pulling out her mobile phone and quickly dialing a few friends she knew would get the word out fast. It felt reflexive; spinning her discomfort into a weapon and using it to spear whoever was immediately in her path.

What else was there to do. Especially when the discomfort she felt was mingled closely with some sort of unhinged attraction.

_And I like it._


	3. ivy

_Oh, goddamn_

_My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand_

_Taking mine, but it’s been promised to another_

The first time was three months after _the incident_ at The Bronze, solidifying Buffy’s Sunnydale status as a social reject. Conversely, she had established herself as a serious threat to all the big bads the Hellmouth was seemingly teeming with after her defeat of The Master. Things were comfortable. _Buffy_ was comfortable.

By the time December 23rd had rolled around, Buffy had grown accustomed to sitting quietly in the library while Giles finished shelving the returns, waiting until the sun dotted under the horizon so that she could patrol with Angel. The school was empty, everyone having left for their winter break with a speed Buffy had only seen in some of the vampires she’d fought. As a result, her guard was down when the heavy wooden doors swung inward, and she felt herself jump. She relaxed as she recognized the harsh clicks of Cordelia’s mules.

“What are you still doing here? Everyone’s having their almost-Christmas sales. Thought you’d be all over that.” Buffy quipped, absently flipping through a tome about some ugly demon she would inevitably come across. She looked up when she wasn’t met with a retort. Cordelia clearly hadn’t been expecting anyone this time of day, in the _library_ of all places. Her eyes were rimmed with red and glassy with un-spilled tears, her foundation streaked with the small paths carved out by those that already had fallen.

Clearly shocked to see Buffy, Cordelia turned on her heels, clearly readying to make a run for a more proper spot to cry in. Buffy furrowed her brows in concern.

“What’s wrong, Cordelia?” She asked, somewhat hurried as she stood, crossing the room in three easy steps to meet Cordelia. Cordelia paused for a moment, seemingly making a decision about her next move. She must have decided to stay, because suddenly she was turned around, facing Buffy, clearly attempting to replace whatever mask she allowed to slip.

“Nothing, Buffy. Nothing is wrong.” She huffed out, carefully dabbing under her eyes in an attempt to quell her running mascara. Buffy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, delicately raising an eyebrow. One thing Buffy had come to appreciate about Cordelia was her honesty. Sometimes she found her a little _too_ honest, but she was who she was, and she wasn’t ashamed of it. Cordelia would never apologize for being a little too loud, or wrong, or mean. Her complex image was made up of parts that felt entirely more real than even the tiniest bits of Buffy that she allowed others to see.

Cordelia sighed, squeezing her eyes shut. “It’s…I think that Brad is cheating on me. And by ‘think’ I mean I know, because I just caught him and Harmony in the front seat of his Trans Am quickly sliding their way to third base.” Her bottom lip quivered, her aloof airs quickly dissipating.

“Cordelia, I’m so sorry. You deserve so much better than that.” Buffy responded softly, feeling herself reflexively wrapping her arms around Cordelia. Something about the simple gesture felt… _right_. Cordelia’s slightly taller, slender frame fit nicely in the space between Buffy’s arms. She felt Cordelia cautiously set her head on Buffy’s shoulder, which Buffy instinctively met by tilting her head against hers. The pair sat like that as Cordelia’s sobs and gasps slowly subsided. The air around the pair was heavy, thick with some kind of magnetic force, and before she could even register what was happening, Buffy felt her tilting her head down, pressing her lips to Cordelia’s forehead.

“I just thought he was different.” Cordelia mumbled out. Buffy nodded, gently stroking Cordelia’s dark hair soothingly. “I mean, I allowed him to hold my hand in public. That’s a _big_ step, Buffy. You wouldn’t understand—” she continued, her rambling nearly coaxing a smile from Buffy.

“Men usually aren’t. Hey, just be glad he isn’t undead with a curse you might unintentionally break.” Buffy responded dryly, thinking very un-fondly of her ex-boyfriend-current-mortal-enemy. This elicited a snort from Cordelia.

“I won’t be dating a _vampire_ anytime soon. Potentially reformed or otherwise.” She replied, her brown eyes no longer lit by unshed tears, but rather with a rare humor that threw Buffy off-kilter for a moment.

“We can’t all be as smart as you, Cor.” She responded after a brief pause. Cordelia paused for a moment.

“You’re the only one that calls me that, you know.” She said quietly. Buffy blinked.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize-“

“No, it’s fine. I like it.” Cordelia suddenly backed up in the embrace, so she was face to face with Buffy. Buffy blinked and once again felt that goddamned warmth radiating through her chest. There was a beat where the two of them remained like this, tangled in what was initially a friendly embrace, but now was sending small jolts of electricity buzzing through each point of contact against Buffy’s skin.

Before she could really register what she was doing, Buffy leaned up, pressing her lips against Cordelia’s. She felt Cordelia stiffen against her, and just as she was about to pull away, she felt the taller girl relax. The pair stood in their embrace for a moment before reality seemed to snap back to the both of them, and they sprung apart, Buffy wiping the remnants of Cordelia’s lip gloss from her own lips.

The moment was further wrenched from Buffy’s grasps as her watcher-slash-surrogate-father strolled out from his office, a cup of tea firmly grasped in one hand.

“Buffy—oh! Cordelia, hello—” He cheerily greeted the girls.

Without responding, Cordelia glanced over at the stunned Slayer before tearing out of the room, leaving behind a befuddled Giles and a confused Buffy. 

“Well—she’s a difficult one, isn’t she?” Giles announced once the door had closed with a thud.

_Oh, I can’t_

_Stop you from putting roots in my dreamland_

_My house of stone, your ivy grows_

_And now I’m covered in you._

It shouldn’t have meant that much-sometimes these things _just happen_. Plenty of girls try it, right? They go to college, _experiment_. She’d heard about it plenty of times. That didn’t stop the kiss from being the first thing Cordelia thought about before going to sleep, and the first image dancing behind her eyes upon waking up.

_So yeah_

_It’s a fire_

_It’s a goddamned blaze in the dark_

_And you started it._

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by a post on Tik Tok by @natashaven1ce who created the idea of a sapphic love story as told by Taylor Swift along with creating the playlist that inspired each chapter.


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